Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the protection of electrical outlet receptacles during installation, and, more particularly, to temporary shields for protecting the contents of electrical outlet receptacles during installation. Typically, an outlet receptacle initially is nailed or otherwise affixed to a wall stud while exposed. Then sheet rock or other drywall is nailed to the wall stud in front of the outlet receptacle. An opening then is cut into the drywall to expose the front of the receptacle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Determining the proper location of the opening in front of the outlet receptacle has been a problem. As previously stated, outlet receptacles are nailed or otherwise secured to wall support studs and are wired before a drywall or the like is nailed or stapled to the support studs. An outlet receptacle then is located by tapping or punching the drywall, after which an opening that matches the outlet receptacle is cut with a hand-held router or utility knife using the outlet receptacle as a guide. Damage to the electrical wiring within the outlet receptacle often occurs. A variety of prior art shields have been proposed to protect the contents of outlet receptacles during the construction process. Such shields in the past typically have been inconvenient to carry and unwieldy to use because of their unnecessarily rugged and complex construction. Furthermore, their complex construction often has hindered rather than helped cutting an appropriate opening in an associated drywall. There is a need for a simplified, lightweight and inexpensive outlet shield that can be readily located behind a dry wall and that can be used effectively as a guide for cutting an opening that matches the outlet receptacle.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide an electrical receptacle shield in the form of a thin sheet metal stamping, a supply of which may be readily stacked and carried. This shield is designed to temporarily but effectively cover the front opening of an outlet receptacle that is characterized by a back wall and a peripheral wall bounding the back wall and the front opening. The peripheral wall has free front edges of predetermined thickness, which may be considered to lie in a plane and to define a front rim having an outer perimeter and an inner perimeter. The peripheral wall has a plurality of inwardly directed ridges having foreword faces that lie in the plane of the rim of the peripheral wall. These ridges have tapped holes for the reception of screws by which a finish plate may be secured to the outlet receptacle after its front opening is exposed through the drywall.
A precise geometrical description of the shield is necessary for an understanding of the present invention. Specifically, the shield is in the form of a tray that has an outer rim section lying in an anterior plane, an inner base section lying in a posterior plane, and an intermediate slope section that extends between the inner base section and the outer rim section. The front profile of the rim section surrounds the front profile of the slope section. The front profile of the slope section surrounds the front profile of the base section. The rim section and the slope section have a plurality of gaps. A plurality of catches extend outwardly from the base section through the gaps. The free extremities of the catches extend outwardly at least to the inner perimeter of the front profile of the rim section. The arrangement is such that the shield can be pressed into the front opening of the outlet receptacle, held in position by the catches, which clutch the receptacle""s interior walls, and can be pried from the receptacle after use by a screw driver for replacement by a finish plate.